


Survival of the Fittest

by KiraWaters



Category: Final Fantasy XIII-2
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-12
Updated: 2015-04-14
Packaged: 2018-03-11 19:00:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3332240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KiraWaters/pseuds/KiraWaters
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Noel and Caius play sports for a Academia University. When Noel's competitive streak puts him in danger of losing his scholarship, Caius steps in to try and ease back the competition. Though, being one of the coldest men in the university he isn't sure how he can possibly show Noel he cares without making a scene out of it. College AU Caius x Noel bit of Serah x Snow and vanille x fang (mostly implied with the last two)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> So I'm trying a new pairing here. Mainly because I just reached the end of the game and partly because there is no fiction for this pair! I don't own anything it all belongs to Square Enix.

   He'd finally made it to Academia University! Noel collapsed on his bed in his dorm with a pleased sigh. He didn't think to make it this far, never in the world did he think he was adequate enough to make it into a prestigious University. The door to his room open and his dorm mate walked in throwing something on his bed. The pale, blonde haired man looked up to see Noel watching him closely.

   "You must be Noel! I'm Snow Villiers, you're new roommate. Heard the last one jumped out the window."

   Noel raised an eyebrow curiously, "It's my first day. Wouldn't that make the old person your ex-roommate?"

   Snow smirked devilishly, "So he's smarter then he looks, folks. He didn't jump he asked for a transfer because apparently I'm too obnoxious for him. Are you the baseball star?" Noel wouldn't consider himself a star, not in the long run. He didn't get to answer before Snow was talking again, "I could show you around. If it's your first day you might want to start exploring before classes begin. The campus is rather large and slightly confusing."

   "What are you majoring in?" Noel asked the question trying to sound polite. Snow didn't look like the scholarly type.

   The male seemed to read into the question and he shoved his hands in his pockets smirking, "I'm here on a football scholarship. I take classes I need for a basic degree, but I don't have intentions of actually doing anything besides play football." He looked like a sports man that was for sure.

   Snow was well built, stocky yet tall. He looked like he could flatten anyone that dared get in his way. Noel had never been one for the contact sports. He preferred that ones that he could focus without getting murdered in the process. Noel was more logical, though he didn't look it people often underestimated his ability to think quickly under pressure. "Oh."

   "So would you like that tour or not?" Noel didn't like the vibe he got from Snow, but considering he was stuck with him for who knew how long, he had to make the best of it.

   "Sure, sounds good."

   Snow's face was almost split in half with the size of his smile, "Awesome!" Noel wasn't going to get used to this guy, was he? They left the room after the large man threw on a white trench coat thing and a black bandana. Noel was wearing a black t shirt and blue jeans. His wardrobe was rather normal considering he was poor as hell and it was all he could afford. Snow seemed to be one of those that liked to stand out. "This amazing building is the cafeteria. I spend a lot of my time here." Noel didn't doubt that for a second. Snow looked like he could eat his weight four or five times a day. 

   There was a section where it looked like people could go and order food, a coffee shop, a pastry shop, a book store. There were quite a few shops located in the large, one story building and Noel felt overwhelmed trying to take it all in. "Snow!"

   The large man turned and smiled eagerly as a young woman approached. She ran into his large arms and he spun her around laughing. "Serah! I thought you were on a vacation with Light!" He kissed the pink haired woman's head leading Noel to believe she was his girlfriend.

   Serah was a rather petite woman and she looked even smaller in Snow's arms. Noel was about to sneak off when bright, blue eyes eyed him excitedly. "You must be Snow's new roommate. I told him to be nice to you considering his last partner." The woman shot her boyfriend a nasty look, "You're being nice, aren't you?"

   "I'm giving him a tour!" Snow protested sounding hurt. They definitely had a different relationship. "Noel, this is my girlfriend Serah. Serah, this is Noel. Now you two get acquainted while I snag breakfast."

   Serah smiled softly at the unfamiliar man before her. He was quite tall but lean and toned. He was definitely an athlete. "It's nice to meet you. I really hope you don't mind Snow too much. He isn't a bad guy he's just energetic and a lot of people can't handle him."

   "I don't give up on challenges. I'm going to make it a goal to put up with him no matter how loud he gets." Holding a hand out he grinned, "Nice to meet you too, Serah."

   She didn't seem too bad. Maybe she was someone he could get used to around here. "I'm glad you're determined. Snow could use some friends besides Hope and I."

   Noel cocked his head to the side curiously, "A friend of yours?"

   The light haired girl nodded with a grin, "Hope is a genius. He's sixteen and graduated high school two years ago. He started going here just recently but he's already the top of his classes." He sounded like someone Noel could get along with. "I'm twenty myself, but Hope is the most fascinating person I've found so far."

   So Serah was the same age as he was, that was good to know. It made him wonder if Snow was their age as well. He was pulled out of his thoughts when the man returned holding two sandwiches and a thing of orange juice. "Are you two getting along?" He teased nudging Serah before taking a huge bite out of his food.

   The girl rolled her eyes before beckoning to Noel to follow her. "You might as well meet some of the others while you're here. Do you have classes today?" Noel pulled his schedule out of his back pocket before shaking his head.

   "I just have baseball practice."

   The woman's eyes lit up eagerly, "You're the new player? That's exciting! I didn't think I'd get to meet you so soon. The school is so excited about having you here. I heard you're one of the best players in our county." Noel felt as if he could blush.

   "Oh uh...it's nothing special. I just happen to be good at something." For once in his life. His mind flashed to his rival and his fists clenched without him realizing. "Just took some practice." Yeah right, he worked hard at getting good. He still wasn't where he needed to be though and it was frustrating.

   "I've seen you play and you're amazing." Serah gushed happily. They arrived at a table with a young male, Noel assumed this was Hope, another pink haired woman, and a woman with long, dark hair. "Guys, this is Noel Kreiss!" How the hell did she know his last name? Before he could ask Serah went on with the names, "This is Hope, Lightning, and Fang. Vanille is somewhere around, but she tends to stick around her drama class a lot. She's going into play writing." He really didn't care.

   Noel held a hand up in greeting as everyone looked up to see what Serah was talking about. "Hi." He muttered quickly not enjoying all the attention.

   The one called Fang looked him over before shrugging, "Well it looks like we're going to have to adopt him into our group, 'eh?" She had a thick accent and he couldn't quite tell where it was from. "Just means we have another kid to look after."

   How old did she think he was? Lightning looked a lot like Serah, they had to be sisters. Hell they could be twins if the other didn't look older. "So he's the new baseball player, huh?" What was with these people and knowing about him? "He doesn't look special." That's because he wasn't.

   Serah sighed, "Can't you be nice to anyone?"

   "You know Light, Serah. She always has a stick up her..." Snow was cut off as a cup was thrown at his head. "Hey watch it! Coach'll be pissed if I get a concussion."

   Lightning didn't seem phased and Fang burst into laughter. Great, this was a group of people he could have gone without knowing. Hope had stayed rather silent, but his eyes watched Noel's every move. He seemed shy or maybe he just wanted to appear that way. Noel almost regretted letting Snow pull him out of the dorm. The cafeteria fell silent as the doors opened and closed. Serah turned to look at what had caused such a scene and she sighed with a roll of her eyes.

   Noel followed her gaze and instantly paled at the sight. A tall, well built man with purple hair walked in. He was dressed nicely, and his hair pulled back into a neat pony tail. Was he trying to look professional for school or something? Noel found himself biting his lip and clenching his fists in pure anger. He recognized the small figure next to him, long silver hair and soft eyes. The small, shy girl that every man wanted but couldn't get close to. It looked like Caius and Yeul had shown up at Academia. Why wasn't he surprised?

   "I wouldn't bother with them, They don't talk to anyone really, especially Caius. I'm on the damn football team with him and he hasn't uttered more then three words at a time." Snow growled. He really didn't like the long haired man at all. "He droves me nuts."

   Noel nodded in agreement and averted his gaze as Caius' dark eyes met his. "The bastard is like that with people."

   "Wait, you know him?" Light asked narrowing her eyes. "How do you know him?"

   Fang had her feet propped up on the table, chair leaned back, arms crossed against her chest. She was smirking, "I think he's interesting."

   Hope chuckled to himself before going back to his book. He was a studious one that's for sure. Noel tried to ignore the looming presence behind him, but it was rather hard when everyone at the table was staring at the figure standing there. Yeul was the first to make a move, she wrapped her arms around Noel's waist form behind and grinned widely. "I didn't think you were going to come!"

   Noel couldn't ignore her, he'd never been able to ignore Yeul. Turning slightly he smiled weakly, "Of course I came, I got a full scholarship." She seemed disappointed by his answer. "It's good to see you again. You've grown up."

   The girl's smile returned warming Noel's heart. He hadn't seen her since they were in high school together. She must have just been starting college being she was only eighteen. Caius stood coldly, arms crossed, stance saying he didn't want to be here. "Of course I did, did you think I would stay young forever? You look great! I heard you're on the baseball team. You and Caius will see each other a lot while the practices turn over."

   That wasn't the news he wanted to hear. Caius' eyes met his once more and Noel glared. "Good, that way I can show him up on the field."

   "We're not even in the same sport, Noel. What would the point be of competition?" Noel had never been adequate enough to beat Caius in anything. He would do anything now to prove he was better. "I play football and you play baseball. They're not even remotely played the same way, Noel."

   "If I didn't know you better I would say you sounded scared, Caius." The larger man narrowed his eyes at the challenge. "You haven't seen me play in two years. I understand your fear."

   "You're ridiculous. I'm not listening to your bullshit. Yeul, I'm going to the library, meet me when you've finished with this idiot." Caius turned on his heel without acknowledging the others. Fang couldn't help but snort lightly at the commotion. She was quite enjoying this mess.

   Noel glowered at the retreating back as Snow's jaw hit the floor. Serah was holding back slight giggles and Light just seemed intrigued. "That bastard hasn't changed a bit!"

   "Why do you insist on fighting with Caius, Noel?" Yeul looked sad. It almost made him regret his attitude. "He just wants to be friends again."

   Noel grit his teeth angrily before taking a few deep breaths. "We haven't been friends in years, Yeul. We only put up with each other for your sake in school. After I moved it was pretty damn relieving to get away from the tension." He shoved his hands in his pockets. "I'm sorry it didn't work out."

   Yeul stuck her lip out in a fake pout, "Fine, you can fight all you want, but around me you have to be nice to him."

  That was something he could do considering he did it in high school. "I can do that." The silver haired woman grinned before throwing her arms around Noel again and kissing his cheek.

   "I better go before Caius worries! He promised my parents he would watch me my first year, that man is so protective sometimes. Bye Noel, I hope to see you around!" He was sure she would. Throwing the young woman a wave he sighed. He didn't feel quite as excited about attending the university as he once had.

  Just about everyone in the cafeteria was staring as Yeul ran out the doors. Snow was still at a loss for words and Noel didn't think that happened often. Serah put her hands behind her back and grinned innocently, "So you know them already?"

   "I grew up with them." Noel admitted softly. "But we grew apart a long time ago."

   "He's never said that much! How the hell did you get him to talk?" Snow demanded as Noel bid a quick farewell. He suddenly felt drained of all energy.

   Without looking back he smirked, "Just insult him. He'll either punch you or scold you." Noel half hoped Snow would take the bait. Insulting was a sure way to get him hit. Just the thought of getting Snow a black eye raised his spirits some. The blonde annoyed him quite intensely.

   Before he could walk out of the room he heard Serah yell something at Snow. He could have sworn the blonde said "I oughta try it". Noel grinned wickedly to himself. He really hoped he did.


	2. Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I don't own any Final Fantasy Characters!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have found myself an editor! I don't know her online name, so I'm calling her my Demyx hehe she'll know who she is. Thanks a bunch for all the help, planning, editing, etc. You know what you do.

   Noel winced as he hit the ground, hard. Something didn't feel quite right about that land and he realized as he tried to push himself back up that he'd landed very wrong. "Shit!" He took the weight off his right wrist and squeezed his eyes shut trying to hide the pain. His coach hurried over yelling a time out or something, Noel didn't catch the words he used. "This cannot be happening." He seethed rocking back and forth trying to block the spasms of pain that wracked his body.

  "What happened?" Coach demanded quickly. Their coach was Mr. Villiers, how funny right? When Noel had found out he'd nearly died, but after the assurance that Snow and his father were nothing alike he was relieved. "Did you break it?"

   So help the Gods if he broke his damn wrist during the first game of the season. "No!" Noel gasped. He would prove he was alright, but first he had to grab the damn ball. Looking up he attempted to close his hand around the circle object in front of him, but upon making a fist pain shot up his arm making tears fill his incredibly blue eyes. "Damn it." He hissed releasing the ball. He shouldn't have dove for it, he was a pitcher it hadn't been his job.

   "Let's get you to the locker room." The coach urged softly. As they left the field the back up pitcher was called to take his place much to Noel's dismay. How was he going to show Caius up if he couldn't play? The coach set him down on the bench and went off to find their medical attendant. Noel stared blankly at the wall in front of him as his throbbing wrist made him growl angrily.

   "That was quite a fall." Noel looked up as Hope approached him. "Are you alright?" The boy's soft, studious eyes sent shivers down Noel's spine. He had been at the University for two months and he still didn't know Hope all that well. "Can I see it?"

   "The medical attendant is coming."

   A smile crossed Hope's thin lips, "Yeah, I sent her on an incredibly long journey through three different buildings. I'm kind of the fill in." Hope spoke as if he were merely stating a fact. "But, I do have some medical knowledge being a teenage genius and all." He didn't even sound smug about it. How could someone say something like that and not sound like an arrogant prick? _  
_

"Are you going into the medical field?"

   "Does it matter?" Hope looked up with a slight smile. He knew he was making Noel nervous and it was amusing. "If you want you can wait for Alyssa  and your Coach but I can't promise you won't be dead by then." Noel must have paled because Hope stepped back a few steps, "It's a joke, seriously you can't die from a broken bone."

   Noel stood with surprising speed, "It can't be broken! I'm here on scholarship which means I have to play!"

   The two males stood silently as Hope gauged the safest way to handle this situation. Instead of speaking he reached out and took Noel's injured hand before studying it. Slightly swollen, barely any bruising, Noel seemed to have a slight range of motion. "I don't think it's broken. It's sprained pretty badly, but that can heal in as little as two weeks if you take care of it properly."

   There was no way he could miss two weeks of practice, "That's too long."

   "Well, considering you're not superhuman and I don't have magical powers you can't do anything about it. If you try to play or practice in this condition you could end up permanently damaging it. Wait the two weeks, bandage it, and ice it when it swells. If you do those things it'll heal properly and you'll be back on the field in no time. If you don't that's the end of your career." Hope sounded unconcerned.

   "Why should I listen to someone who isn't a medical major?" Noel snapped feeling his head spin. This was a shitty way to begin the season.

   A small hand ran through silvery locks, "You can wait for a second opinion, but Alyssa isn't the most reliable doctor. I would probably use the internet to find ways to help you out, but honestly I could care less if you choose to take my advice or not." Noel wasn't sure he liked this kid. "Why would you listen to someone that graduated high school at fourteen though? That doesn't make any sense at all." Hope's eyes flashed in amusement as Noel scowled. "See you later, I guess."

   Noel definitely didn't like him. He watched Hope leave the locker room confidently and without looking back. He'd gotten to know the group fairly well in his time with them. Serah and Snow were by far the two that stuck closest to him, but besides them the others weren't bad. Fang and Light worked to maintain their martial arts club, and Vanille stuck real close to her drama; Noel had learned not to engage her in any sort of conversation regarding theater. Snow had football practice as often as Noel and Serah ran the archery club being the best in the school. She'd even won two championships for the school which he found rather impressive considering he couldn't even hit the target when he had tried it.

   He was lost in his thoughts when Coach returned with Alyssa. She told him the same thing Hope had and he glared at her the entire time. She looked slightly taken aback by his harsh glance, but Mr. Villiers assured her it was merely the pain Noel was in. The brunette had to bite his tongue to stop himself from cussing them both out and leaving. How could he have already sprained his wrist? This was how he was going to prove his worth to that ass Caius!

   "Head back to the school, Noel. Looks like you'll be out of commission for a while. Thankfully this isn't some big, important game." Coach was trying to make him feel better, but it wasn't working. The one aspect he shared with his son was his positivity.

   "I'm going to shower first." Noel admitted in defeat. "Thanks Coach."

   The man nodded before leaving the locker room to check on his team. So much for his great start of the year. Noel showered quickly and took care not to over use his wrist. Alyssa had wrapped it with an ace bandage and told him to keep it elevated to take off pressure. He would ice it as Hope had said back at the dorm. Hopefully Snow wouldn't be there because he couldn't handle that right now. Throwing his daily clothes on Noel left the locker room letting the door slam shut behind him.

    Arriving at his dorm only took minutes because everyone was at the game. No big crowds to get through. Entering his building he trudged up the stairs with a slight yawn before pulling his room key out and unlocking the door. It was going to be a long ass night. Stepping inside he dropped his uniform and flicked the lights on instantly freezing. Snow, Serah, Light, Fang, and Vanille sat in the dorm holding party favors. He stared in stunned silence at the group that started shouting and hollering congrats.

   Vanille pulled him into a hug with a giggle, "You played your first game tonight! How did it go?" The pink haired female released him and beamed awaiting his response. Light was sulking in a corner, her party hat was just about ready to fall off her head.

   "You must have dominated! I didn't expect the game to end for another hour at least." Snow clapped him on the back laughing. "Way to go man!"

   No one had seen his wrist then. Noel sighed and ran his good hand through his hair. "I didn't win anything. I sprained my wrist and got sent from the game." The room went silent except for Fang's laughter.

   Vanille sent her girlfriend a harsh look, "Fang!"

   It was funny in a dark way so Noel didn't mind it. He shrugged it off as Vanille shot daggers at her still laughing partner. "I'm sorry! He sprained his wrist on game one! That's just funny. How did you manage to do that?" Not that the raven haired woman cared, but she did try to look as if she did for Vanille's sake.

   Noel sighed and shook his head with a forced smile, "I fell."

   Serah looked sad for him and Light was restraining a smile. Her and Fang were too much alike. Snow wasn't quite sure what to say so instead he shoved a cupcake into Noel's hands. "Vanille made them herself."

   Noel wasn't hungry. Everyone grabbed a pastry and tried to take away from the tension in the room. So not only had he let himself down but he had also let the others down. For some reason that wasn't making the mood any lighter. Sighing he took a bite to be polite and smiled at Vanille who was shoving cake into Fang's face. The two fell to the ground as icing and chocolate made their way into Fang's hair.

   Serah was licking frosting from her fingers about the same time as Snow placed a kiss on her cheek. He felt out of place here and it was his damn dorm. Noel half wanted to see Yeul and Caius again. He wished they would go back to being kids with no worries, but at that thought he frowned at himself. Why the hell would he want to go back? Caius was his rival and he would show him up! A knock at the door made everyone freeze. Had they been too loud for the other building members?

   "Noel, you're closest open the door!" Snow demanded shoving Serah off of his lap so he could stand. Lightning had made her way to Noel's bed and had managed to bring out a book to read. Did she seriously have to sit on his bed?

   The brunette turned and took the few steps to his door before throwing it open. He wished he could kick everyone out of the small room, but he figured he should attempt to be nice to the people that had took him in. Yeul and Caius, speak of the devil. Noel's eyes narrowed and everyone paused to look upon the scene. Noel hadn't mention Caius since the first day they'd met him. No one had asked and the two hadn't seen each other since. Noel made it a point to avoid Caius like the plague.

   "Heard you got thrown out of the game." Caius didn't get any further before Noel slammed the door on his face. He was not going through with this right now. A small, timid knock made his body tense again. He had just shut the door on Yeul as well.

   "Noel, please let us in." Her voice was soft, worried. "I promise Caius will be good."  There was a scoff on the other side of the door before Yeul hissed something. It sounded an awful lot like 'be nice'. "Please Noel..." He couldn't deny Yeul anything. He slowly reopened the door with a slight growl. "Thank you."

   She stepped in before he could close it on them again. Caius was quick to follow and he was forced to step back into the room so the two could enter the room fully. Vanille was still sitting on Fang's stomach on the floor trying to force feed her a cupcake. They looked up as the room suddenly got tense. "Oh, hi." Vanille didn't recognize the two newcomers but by the looks of it everyone else did. She needed to spend less time in the theater room.

   Fang attempted to sit up, but with Vanille's weight on her stomach she couldn't move very far. "Well, well, now it's a party."

   Snow looked like he wanted to say something, but one look from Caius made him bite back any words he might have been thinking. Yeul waved at everyone pleasantly, "My name is Yeul and this is Caius. I believe we met most of you informally before." She went around the room and shook everyone's hand with a slight bow. Yeul had always been polite and kind unlike her counter part over there.

   Everyone slightly mumbled their name as they tried to figure out what to do or say. Serah broke the silence first, "Well, any friend of Noel's is a friend of mine." Snow nodded his agreement as he absently stroked his girlfriend's hair. "It's nice to meet you Yeul, Caius." She got a nod from the older man but nothing more.

   "I didn't think you were one to watch baseball, Yeul." Noel did his best to ignore the other being in the room.

   The girl smiled brightly before shaking her head, "Oh I didn't watch it! We were told you got hurt by-" Caius' hand fell over the female's mouth immediately shutting her up.

   "I went to watch the game." Caius finally spoke. Noel's eyes widened slightly as he looked up at the man. "I wanted to see if all the talk you made was worth anything, but you didn't do anything spectacular besides fall on your face."  Noel felt his cheeks flush in anger. How dare he?  "As pitcher it isn't your job to chase the ball down. If you stayed on the pitcher's mound where you belonged you would have had nothing to fall over."

   Baseball wasn't even his game! Still, Noel knew the purple haired man was right. He was right about all of it and that was the most frustrating part. Snow could feel the steadily rising anger, so he finally stood and did something about it. "Would either of you like a cupcake?"

   Yeul accepted eagerly and bit into the sweet treat. "This is amazing!" Vanille perked up hearing someone finally compliment her food. "Who made these?" Yeul gushed.

   Vanille hopped off of Fang and bounced over to Yeul waving. "You really like them? Oh that's great I'm so happy! See Fang, someone appreciates me!" Vanille's arm slipped around Yeul's waist as she shot her girlfriend a daring look. "Maybe I should be around someone that appreciates me more!"

   They all knew Vanille would never leave Fang for anyone. They'd been together since they were in middle school. Yeul went red at the unfamiliar contact with another human being. Caius had never really let anyone get this close but he looked just as stunned. Someone had managed to get by him and to Yeul? "Oh...uh...I don't know if...eep!" Vanille kissed the younger girl's cheek before giggling wildly.

   Caius set a hand on Vanille's shoulder as Fang stood to retrieve her girlfriend from the mess. "I don't think that wise, young lady."

   "Oi, get your hand off her!" Fang demanded shoving Caius and throwing her arm around Vanille's shoulder. "She's a bit odd but she ain't a danger to your little girl over there. Keep your hands to yourself or you might lose one of 'em."

   Noel tried to suppress a smirk, but he was unable to do so especially when Caius actually backed off. Lightning seemed to ignore everything that was happening by reading her book. Either she really didn't give a shit or it was the most interesting piece of literature on the planet. Snow sighed, "She's protective of Vanille, Caius. She is right though, Vanille wouldn't harm a fly."

   Yeul was still red as atomato. "I don't think she's scary it was just unexpected." Noel had to admire how Yeul tried to maintain harmony no matter the situation. Vanille shoved a cupcake at Fang as the raven dragged her partner to the door of the dorm.

   "I'm taking my girlfriend back to our dorm. She seems to be intent on getting everyone in trouble today. Have a nice night all." Fang's accent was even thicker then Vanille's and that's when Noel realized he hadn't heard Fang speak this much since he'd known her. It was impressive.

   Caius visibly relaxed when the two, more energetic women left. Noel shot a look to Light. How would he get her off his bed? "May I see your hand, Noel?" Yeul was talking again. "Is it okay?"

   He held up his wrapped arm before looking down at her, "It doesn't hurt anymore." Honestly he had forgotten it even hurt until now. Everything around him had been enough stimulation to make him forget the pain.

   Yeul touched the bandage gently before looking up at him with a smile, "I think you'll be okay!" Yeah he was sure he would be okay too as long as he could get back to playing soon. "How long are they keeping you from the team?"

   "Two weeks." Caius looked up at the drop in Noel's tone. His eyes scanned the brunette's body language and he suppressed the urge to console him.

   He knew how hard Noel worked to get here and he felt for him now. It wasn't unlike Caius to worry about his younger friend, but it was quite like Caius to not show his concern. The only one who ever knew how he felt was Yeul, but he'd sworn her to secrecy at the age of ten. Caius did what he could to encourage Noel without directly encouraging him, but seeing him like this now he knew something was going to have to be done. Noel was obviously feeling fairly inadequate about not being able to play.

   "That's not so bad!" Yeul was trying to make him smile, but Noel wasn't buying into her energetic tone this time.

   For someone like Yeul sure, two weeks wasn't bad at all, but for someone like Noel two weeks was like three years. It was a death sentence to be told he was off the team for two weeks. Even now as he tried to focus on what his oldest friend was saying all he could think was how fucking pathetic he was. Why did he think he could do this? He should have stayed at home and went to a normal college for nutrition or something. Noel was so lost in his thoughts he didn't catch the soft glance that Caius was shooting at him.

   Snow checked his watch and yelped slightly, "I have practice early in the morning. I regret to have to do this, but could you all leave? I need to get some sleep." Noel was thankful for Snow's early morning practice.

   Caius looked up to meet blue eyes and Snow grinned, "See you in the morning."

   The purple haired man wondered if he should tell Snow the practice had been changed to the late afternoon. Yeul said her good byes, hugged Noel, and then left the room with a slight skip to her step. Caius hesitated for only a moment before smiling darkly, "See you in the morning, Snow." Yeah, he was a fucked up person too but Noel knew that already.

   Lightning finally looked up from her book and sighed, "Can we go now, Serah?"

   The sisters took their leave after Snow and Serah said quick good byes. Noel watched the door still slightly stunned by the events of the night. Why in hell had Caius come with Yeul? Didn't he knew Noel would have kept her safe from his idiotic friends? He didn't have to come but he had. Did he really want to make Noel feel that shitty about himself?

   "Noel, are you going to be okay?" Snow had been observing him all night, he knew Noel was not okay with this. "Everything will be alright, you know?"

   The brunette forced another weak smile before throwing his shirt to the corner of the room and collapsing in his bed. Snow flicked the light off and followed suite before letting out a sigh. "Good night, Noel."


	3. 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally an update! I plan to be done by chapter 5!
> 
> Thanks for my awesome Beta reader. Dunno what I would do without her!! Thanks @LynessaMarie for all the editing joys (and your super smart ass comments)

   Caius had tried to speak with Noel alone, but every time he saw him he was surrounded by his new friends. Yeul could feel the older man's frustration about not being able to talk with Noel privately. He had told her how worried he was about their friend not being able to play baseball. It was something Noel had been working for since he was a child. Yeul didn't understand his fascination with the sport nor did she understand Caius', but it was their obsession and she had always tried to support them.

   "You could corner him or something." Yeul suggested softly. "Don't you have ways to tell when he's alone or not?"

   Caius leaned on the wall he was next to with a sigh, "I do but I do not think he would quite enjoy the intrusion."

   "He goes to every practice, Caius. Get him in the locker room. You know he's practicing even though he shouldn't be." Yeul cooed trying to sound innocent. She hated giving up Noel's secret, but she hated seeing Caius look so helpless even more.

   Caius turned to look at her, eyes angry and confused. "He's been practicing? Doesn't that idiot know..." Caius stopped himself from talking before he could say something regrettable. "I do not understand him." No one did besides Yeul though, so he didn't see it as a complete loss.

   "Well, if you want to get him alone then go talk to him tonight. Your team practices right before his does so you can see him after." It would be a good way to "accidentally" bump into Noel. Caius let out a sigh as he watched Snow come towards them. The blonde had been very friendly towards him since he had went to their dorm. It was a mistake that Caius had intended to correct but had yet to do so.

   "The sportsmanship celebration is coming up, Caius. Coach expects you to be there as does the rest of the team." Snow stopped a few feet away. He wasn't entirely comfortable with Caius yet, but he was attempting to make an effort to be nice. It seemed his teammate didn't quite appreciate his friendliness though. "It's an event for all of the sports events at the school, so we're not the only ones going to be there."

   These sports rallies were the last thing Caius enjoyed on his day off. "Oh right, it does not appear as if I have a choice in the matter then." Caius muttered mainly to himself.

   Yeul beamed, "Oh this is great! Is Hope going to go?"

   Snow looked at the young woman quizzically. "You know Hope?" He didn't think anyone besides their small group knew the young male. He was underage after all and Light kept most people away from him. Light was a lot like Caius when it came to Hope being she acted like his parent and all. Then again, she had promised Nora she would watch over her precious child while he was at the college.

  "Well yeah, Hope and Caius..." Once again, Caius put his hand over Yeul's mouth to silence her. Snow looked at his teammate curiously.

  "You and Hope what? And does Lightning know?" A cocky grin crossed Snow's face. "I mean, I didn't know you were into..."

   Before he could finish that statement Caius punched Snow in the stomach. "Don't insinuate such disgusting things about me." Yeul let out an eep as Snow doubled over, the smile wiped from his face.

   "That was mean!" Caius turned and walked off without much of a care. "You didn't have to hit him!"

   He could have gotten away with doing much worse, but he wasn't sure if Noel would let him talk to him if Caius were to go off and beat the hell out of one of his friends. "He shouldn't make stupid assumptions then." Caius growled mainly to himself.

   If Noel practiced when he wasn't supposed to then Caius would meet him there. It seemed one sure way he could get what he wanted without causing a scene anywhere else. Noel didn't take kindly to his appearance so it would be best if they didn't have an audience.

 

   "Hope! I need help with my math homework like right now!" Serah ran into the lunch room brandishing books and papers like weapons."I have a mid term I have to pass or I'm going to fail!" She sounded worried but Noel couldn't help but wonder why she didn't ask her sister.

  Hope looked up curiously, "You have a mid term already? Serah, we just began the semester." Still, it didn't stop him from grabbing the books and looking through them as if he could figure it out in three seconds.

   Noel snorted to himself as he leaned back in the chair and sipped his orange soda. Who was he kidding? They all knew Hope would have it figured out in no time at all even if he hadn't taken the class. There was a reason he was considered a prodigy. "My teacher is so dumb! He assigns four mid terms! One at the beginning and one at the end of each semester." What kind of class was she in?

   Hope smirked, "Are you sure you have to pass all four? I think they're tests to see what you know and what you learn. I'm not sure you have to succeed at the beginning."

   Serah scowled, "That's not what we were told."

   "Teachers don't always tell you everything that's on their minds." Noel spoke up. "Sometimes they want to test and see what you can figure out for yourself."

   Serah opened her mouth to rebuttal the statement when Vanille and Fang showed up. Fang looked absolutely exhausted and Vanille hopped around in excitement. "They chose to show my play for the end of year celebration! I'm going to get to direct one of my own plays!"

   "Yo good job, Vanille!" Snow high fived the smaller woman and threw an arm around Serah's shoulders. "And where've you been?"

   Hope looked up at the slowly growing group. He seemed bored with the text book in front of him. "That's great. I can't wait to see it."

   "Oh and Hope, Yeul wanted to know if you were going to the sports rally tomorrow." Snow ruffled the young boy's hair with a grin. "So is there something going on between the two of you?"

   Hope looked up warily, "Yeul wanted to know if I was going to a sports thing? Why?"

   "I didn't get to ask before Caius hit me." Snow rubbed the back of his neck and avoided Noel's gaze.

   "You deserved it." Light toned softly. When had she arrived? Noel hadn't even seen her walk up. He tuned out the rest of the argument as Snow and the light haired woman got into it. That seemed to be their normal.

   "I didn't know you knew Yeul. Where did you two meet?"

   Hope looked up and shrugged, "We go to the same school and Yeul is eighteen. She's one of the younger people I've met so we get along alright. I didn't think it mattered because you seemed to not get along well with them."

   Noel didn't mind Yeul one bit. It was Caius he couldn't stand. They ended their conversation and Noel reached down for his bag. It was only noon and he didn't have his other classes because they'd been cancelled. Pulling out one of his English assignments he situated his pencil in his left hand and wondered what kind of topic he should come up with. Thankfully he was ambidextrous so he didn't have to worry about not being able to write while his wrist healed. He only had a week left before he would be allowed to play but that meant he couldn't play at tomorrow's game. The thought was irritating.

   "Hope! Are you going to help me with my assignment or not?" Serah demanded quickly. "I'm running out of time."

   "I'll help you, babe!" Snow jumped in to be the life savior. He always tried to be anyway but it didn't always work.

   Serah paled and forced a weak smile, "You know I love you, right?" At the confirmation nod she continued slowly, "Hope is here for math and science. He's solved some of the most complex problems and he's only sixteen. You....you're here to play football." Snow's face remained blank as she spoke. "Meaning I would prefer a mathematician's help over a football player."

   "That makes sense." He scratched his head with a laugh. "Fine, fine I get it." At least one could say Snow was a good sport that was for damn sure.

   "We have a meeting in an hour, Light. The group wants us to be prepared for tomorrow's demonstration." Fang spoke suddenly nearly making Noel jump. "Would you like to break the new recruits in or shall I?"

   Light shrugged noncommittally. She didn't seem to care and Noel worried for the new group of martial artists. "So is everyone going to this rally?" Noel asked with a smirk. Well if he had to go to some stupid sports show he was glad everyone else was stuck with him. 

   Vanille nodded excitedly, "Oh yes! Hope is the only one not in a sport, well besides me, but we don't bother him about it because he's super smart. Usually he will go with us anyway to support the school and what not. I tend to go to help Fang with her group just because she tends to be a little hard on them." _  
_

   That meant Caius would be attending this function as well. "Yeul will be there too." Hope muttered softly. "She's in the dance club and they do the competitive thing."

   "Dancing isn't a spo..." Hope elbowed Snow in the gut before he could finish that sentence. He didn't want to offend any one in the nearby vicinity because one of their group members couldn't keep his opinions to himself.

   Noel grinned slightly and went back to his English work. He'd liked the friends he'd made so far. Sure, at times they were odd and unexpected but that's what added to their charm. "Well I feel sorry for the rally tomorrow then. It looks like everyone is going to attend and we all know how much the school loves this little group of people."

   Those that didn't fear Light or Fang liked to mess with Snow. The few that didn't mind Snow's over protective nature about Serah hung with her. The rest of the school tried to pick on Hope, mess with Vanille, or piss off Noel. It was a competition or something they had going on and it got annoying at times. The rest of the break was productive yet not. Noel got half of his paper done while listening to the group bicker and argue playfully. Hope helped Serah with her assignment and the group just went on. Light and Fang left for their meeting a bit late and Snow had practice at three, but before Noel knew it he was on his way back to his dorm to get ready for his own practice.

   He threw his bag on his bed and grabbed his uniform before stretching and throwing some stuff in his practice bag. He often stayed late after the team to try and practice just a little bit. He didn't overdo it ever but he really didn't want to get out of shape because of a stupid sprained wrist. On his way down to the sports center he caught a very pissed off looking Snow. 

   "What's your problem?" Noel teased lightly. "You look like you just found out someone is dying."

   Snow looked up at Noel's voice. "Oh, Caius didn't tell me the practice got delayed. I'm beginning to think he doesn't like me very much. Noel looked at him in slight confusion. If their practice was delayed then when was the baseball practice? Did they get pushed back as well?

   He caught Coach coming out of the locker rooms and he bid Snow farewell. "Hey! When do we practice today?"

   Mr. Villers smiled brightly, "We got cancelled. There was some mix up with the football crew and since we have a game tomorrow and they have one tonight I figured they could have the area." What kind of fucked up logic was that? 

   Noel nodded slowly, "Oh okay. Well then I'll see you tomorrow." Why was their practice being pushed away for football? He really hated how this school and their teams worked sometimes. Most normal universities had a separate fields for their sports, but not this place. God forbid they practice separately. 

   "Are you going to run some laps tonight?" Coach asked before Noel could fully walk off.

   The pitcher grinned and looked back at his head, "Of course I am! I refuse to be out of shape when I can get back on the team."

   His coach nodded approvingly and left him standing in the hall debating whether or not he wanted to wait for the football practice to end. Snow laid a hand across his shoulders lazily, "You know, that purple haired giant isn't nice to anyone is he?"

   "He's nice to Yeul." Noel couldn't really think of another person Caius had ever been nice to. "I guess at one point he was nice to me as well." They'd been friends once, real close in fact. 

   Snow didn't seem surprised, "There's a story hiding somewhere in your mind. I'd like to know it one day." Snow had never asked about his life or his past with Yeul and Caius. Noel had actually come to like that about Snow and the others. They didn't pry, didn't care, nor did they try and force things on you like others in the school. Everyone was kind of cool with you just being you. 

   Noel shrugged, "There's not much to tell honestly. We all grew up together and we were fairly close. When we got more competitive in school he headed one way and I went the other. We began pushing each other, competing over everything, and eventually it got tense. I got sick of putting Yeul in the middle and she always stuck by his side anyways, so I decided to go my own way."

   There was more to it then what he said, but he figured if he gave Snow the basic run over then he would understand the basics and not have to ask anymore questions. Snow nodded as the rest of the team showed up, "Sounds like the typical growing up story. We'll talk more later but it looks like my coach is here. Go do something fun with the rest of your night." Snow ruffled his hair affectionately before heading into the locker room. 

   Noel turned around and readjusted his bag before sighing. He would just have to come back a bit later. As he rounded the corner he caught Caius across the hall. The man looked over at him mildly surprised. "Didn't get the memo?" Noel was more surprised he'd was being spoken too. He looked around carefully wondering if Yeul was watching from somewhere in order to make the man behave. "No one else is around, Noel." Caius voice was calm as always and it was irritating.

   "I don't believe that's any of your business." He had plans on just turning away and ignoring the man, but as Noel made it to the end of the hallway he froze at Caius' words.

   "I know how hard it is on you to not be able to play, but you have got to stop practicing late at night. It's going to delay the time your body heals." He almost sounded caring in those few sentences but that wasn't possible. The only person Caius sounded like that with was Yeul and he only did that when they were alone. Noel turned to face the man angrily and he was about ready to tackle him when Caius opened his mouth again, "You're a good player, you just need to have more confidence in yourself and stop the fear that you're letting everyone down."

   Noel wasn't sure whether to be impressed or depressed that Caius knew that about him. Of course he'd always taken others feelings to heart and he always played sports for someone, and sure sometimes he forgot to play for himself, but what right did Caius have to bring this up now? "What do you know?"

   "I know enough." Caius seemed done with this conversation. "I'm staying after practice tonight and if I see you on that field doing anything besides running I'm going to call your dorm mate to come get you." With that he left the hall so he could get to practice. 

   Noel was seething when he made it back to his dorm. He threw his bag on his bed and paced the dorm a few times before punching the wall with his left hand. He was sure the dorm next to them heard that, but they should be used to it by now considering Snow wasn't exactly quiet. How could Caius act like the friend he used to be? They were supposed to be rivals now and Noel wouldn't let him act like he cared. Caius hadn't cared since middle school! Their friendship ended in the seventh grade and now he thought he could give him some friendly advice?

   The boy fumed in his dorm for hours before throwing a coat on and hurrying down to the sports building. No, he wouldn't let Caius off with getting the last word. He was not going to sit back and let him be the good friend in all of this. It is said that dwelling on one's anger is the wrong way to go; no saying as ever been truer. Noel made it to the locker room as the football team was shoving out. Snow looked at him confused but when Noel shoved past him he didn't bother trying to talk to him. Snow had never seen Noel looking so pissed off before, but that didn't stop him from following the brunette to make sure his friend was alright. 

   Noel found Caius sitting on a bench with a towel around his neck. The only other part of his body that was covered was his waist with another towel. Still, Noel had seen enough of Caius' body in the past because of training that he wasn't bothered by the scene. "You can't act like that!"

   Caius apparently hadn't seen his old friend coming because Noel's voice made him jump slightly before looking up from the bench. "Sorry?"

   "You don't get to go back and act like nothing ever happened, you asshole! You can't pretend to be the caring friend that has good advice and genuinely wants me to have a better life! What was that shit?" Noel couldn't help the way his voice rose as he spoke. 

   Snow rubbed the back of his neck before he began ushering the rest of the team from the room. "Nothing to see, move it along, get the hell out guys." The group wanted to watch the outcome of this little fight, but thankfully Snow was being level headed right now. 

   "Who says I stopped caring because of some rivalry?" Caius was standing now, his arms were crossed against his chest. "It is not like you have to stop being friends when you become rivals. The job of a rival is to push you to your limit not get you killed." _  
_

   Noel glared at the man in front of him before letting out a frustrated yell, "We aren't friends anymore! We stopped being friends a long time ago! We don't talk, we never talk, and we don't hang out! What kind of friendship did you think we had?"

   Caius smirked, "Just because you PMS does not mean I took you off of my friends list, Noel."

   The other's eyes narrowed before he hauled off and punched Caius in the jaw. He felt a comforting crack before dropping his hand and glaring intensely. That's when Snow decided to take his leave as well. "Go fuck yourself." He spat venomously. 

   Caius rubbed his jaw carefully, all traces of amusement gone. He was staring at Noel carefully now, determining what the safest route was here. "Yeul would not want us to fight."

   "Yeul isn't here."

   "Can I at least get dressed first?" _  
_

   It took Noel a moment to determine what was being asked. He suddenly realized that Caius was indeed still in a towel. As he'd said it was a sight he was familiar with being on the same sports teams as Caius for years. "Fine."

   A fight was not something that would help his arm, but at this point he needed some sort of release. He felt like he was going crazy and since he wasn't playing games all his rage was just being bottled up. When Caius had normal people clothes on Noel threw another punch but this one was deflected rather easily. They were in the middle of the field taking swings at one another like it was normal. Noel pulled back for another attack and Caius side stepped but made no move to fight back. 

   "Don't take it easy on me! If you're going to fight me then actually fight!" Noel yelled after Caius stepped past two more punches and blocked a third. "I don't want you to act like I'm a fucking child!"

   Caius didn't respond and the next time he ducked a punch Noel charged at him. He tackled the taller man throwing them both into the dirt and straddling him. The first punch connected with Caius' nose, but before he could throw another punch the man's hand came up and struck him in the sternum making Noel roll off of him gasping for breath. He had to continue to roll when Caius threw another punch while clutching his bleeding nose. 

   "Did you really have to go that far?" Caius grumbled sitting up and prodding the sore appendage. "Why the hell are you mad at me anyway? Because I refuse to say you are not my friend?"

   Noel sat up himself rubbing his chest. He was still trying to breathe properly when he glared at Caius again. "You've always been better at everything. People liked you more, Yeul liked you more, hell if my parents could have chosen they would have taken you first. You act like none of it matters! I worked hard to get to where I was in school and it still didn't matter because of you! I did everything I could to try and outshine you for even a second but something always happened in your life to make you shine the brightest."

   Caius listened patiently while Noel vented his frustrations out on him before collapsing on his back and panting. All was silent for a long while. "Maybe none of it mattered to me. Maybe it did not matter to me because I had you in my life." That was as close to a confession as Caius would give. He watched Noel's body tense but he got no reply. "I knew you were mad but I was unsure why, Noel. If you talked to me about it...."

   "If I had mentioned it you would have failed on purpose, Caius. I didn't want you to fail on purpose." Noel spat angrily, "I wanted to beat you. I came to this school on a stupid scholarship so I could finally show you I was good at something."

   Caius went silent as he watched Noel stare at the stars. The other was still, very still. "You have always been better at baseball, Noel. Your determination for this sport will never be something I can match up to. So if you wanted to be better at something you have always had something. You just did not count it because it was easy for you."

   Noel stopped and looked over at Caius slowly. "What?"

   The man smirked and looked at the grass before shrugging, "I quit baseball back in the eleventh grade. I was benched all the time because I could not hit the ball. All I could do was throw and catch. That is when football found me and I was quickly recruited. I just did not have any talent for the sport like you did."

   The revelation that he was good at something made Noel a little prouder of himself. He felt more confident, less worthless. The two men stared at each other for a long time before Noel opened his mouth. "How did you know I was practicing at nights?"

    "Hope told me."

   "How did Hope know?" 

    "I asked him to watch you for me."

    Noel went silent. How did Hope and Caius know each other? "I still don't like you."

    "You just broke my nose. Right now I am not too fond of you either."

   At least they were on the same page about something then. After a few more moments of staring at one another Caius stood and moved over before holding his hand down to Noel. The other stared for a long while at the helpful hand before reaching up with his good one and grasping it tightly. The last time Caius had extended a helping hand Noel had head butted him and ran off. A small smile crept onto his lips as he stood slowly with the help of his friend. He did notice how Caius refused to let go of his hand once they were both standing though. 

    "Are you done PMS'ing now?" Caius asked softly. Some blood lingered on his upper lip and on his chin, but Caius easily reached up to try and wipe the spots away. Noel shrugged slightly before Caius sighed, "Yeah figures. This is not going to make it any better then."

   Noel was about to open his mouth and ask what he was talking about when soft lips were pressed to his own. He froze as Caius kissed him and pulled his body flush with his. He was warm, heart racing, and Noel couldn't seem to understand what was happening. Caius did say he cared for Noel, but the baseball star hadn't expected this. When Caius pulled away Noel glared and slammed his head into the other's nose. 

   "Fuck!"

   And then he took off running just as he had when they were fourteen. 


	4. Four

The rally was loud, annoying, and Noel couldn't do anything. He was squished between Snow and Fang even though none of them were in the same sport. Why weren't these people with their teams? Hope lingered in the corner of his eye and Noel really wanted to grab him and ask him how long he'd been spying on him for Caius. Of course it made sense as to why Hope had been the first to approach him about his wrist, but that didn't mean he had to be happy about it. 

Actually since the previous night, Noel hadn't said a whole lot to anyone. He was quiet, contemplative, and definitely not pissed about getting kissed. so maybe he was a little angry, but there was something lingering under that destructive force as well. Something he was terrified of exploring yet at the same time he was excited for. Noel shifted trying to get comfortable on the bleacher when Fang elbowed him in the ribs. "Stop moving, kid."

He winced away from her touch causing Snow to laugh out loud, "She's tough ain't she?" Hell yea she was. Noel didn't think he'd ever been hit by Fang before and now he knew why. It hurt and he avoided it as much as he could. 

"After the opening ceremony we get to go to the different booths and play games. Tonight Yeul's show will be preformed before the fireworks." Sounded like fun. Noel was only half listening though because his eyes locked with Caius who was sitting four rows in front of him to his left. He had a bandage over his nose where Noel had hit him as well as head butt him. He earned a hard look but there was a lingering amount of amusement in that stare, so he knew not all was lost. "Hey Noel, you okay?" Snow traced his line of vision and nodded slowly, "So uh...did everything go okay last night?" **  
**

"Nothing happened!" Hope managed to look over in confusion as Noel flushed red. "It was fine I broke his nose."

Snow smirked, "You broke his nose?"

Yeul probably wouldn't be happy with him for that, but at least he felt better. Tension and rage didn't fill his body like it did previously and Noel couldn't help but wonder if this came from hitting Caius, or if this feeling came from kissing Caius. He went red again and looked down so his hair covered his face. He was not about to let Snow know he was blushing. The man would never leave him alone if he felt he was hiding something embarrassing, and with the way he'd been acting around Caius this was not something he wanted the other to know.

The opening ceremony ended with something from the band and Snow began pulling Noel along. Only the varsity teams had to run the booths which meant he was free for the time being. Noel wouldn't be expected to do anything unless someone specifically asked him to do something. He doubted that would be the case though considering his sprained wrist and all that. 

"So you've been spacing out a lot lately. Is everything okay?" Snow was browsing the wares, looking at the people talking and laughing, but his attention was entirely on Noel. If the brunette hadn't been his roommate he wouldn't have known any better, but he knew Snow well enough by this point to understand how the man worked. 

Noel was just in the conflict of a lifetime, but besides that he was very fine. "I'm fine just tired." He managed a small smile, "Where are the others hiding?" He hadn't seen anyone since the bus ride here. 

Snow yawned and rubbed the back of his neck, "Fang and Light are off destroying their teammates while Vanille helps Yeul prepare for her dance. I'm not sure what Hope is off doing, but he's probably here because he's not allowed to be at the school alone." Noel was about to ask about Serah but she turned the corner as they did. "And there's my beloved girlfriend."

"Hey guys! I just stopped to check on my sister, she's brutal to those people." Serah smiled at Noel before shrugging, "So can I steal him? There's something I want him to see."

A hand fell on Noel's shoulder making him jump. "That's fine because I'd like to borrow Noel for a moment." Caius' thick voice came through for Noel to study. He didn't sound pissed off, but sometimes he was a hard one to read. Serah grinned and thanked Caius before running off with a glowering Snow.

"We can't leave him here!" Snow yelled as Serah whispered something to him while pulling him away, and then Noel was turning around to face Caius on his own.

"So you haven't changed since you were fourteen? I think that's good to know." Why? Noel chewed on his lip before meeting the other's gaze finally. "You kind of owe me though, I kissed you and you broke my nose. Don't you think you owe me something nicer?"

Noel pushed Caius lightly before scowling, "We aren't sappy. We don't do this making up thing. Don't start this with me."

Caius smirked, very lightly, but it was still there. "Thank god, I was terrified you were going to make me launch into some stupid speech about love and friendship."

"If you want to get punched again you can continue that train of thought."

They'd been best friends at one point; closer then two people could be without being weird. Yeul was their little sidekick and referee when they tried to do stupid competitions with one another. There was always something Noel seemed to have forgotten though when it came to their odd, little friendship. After those competitions, Caius would always buy him an ice cream, sit on the side walk, and tell him how much he'd improved. They'd talk for hours about what could have gone better, how Noel could have won, and how well Caius did without even trying. 

There was a point when Noel forgot their competitions were friendly, their competitions were what made their friendship easy and fun, and he had forgotten what it was originally all about. Caius was slowly starting to make him remember. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"I wanted to force you to watch Yeul's dance with me tonight. I don't see why I should have to suffer it alone." Caius managed to keep a straight face even if he was joking. "I'll save you a spot but you better not stand me up."

"Stand you up, what is this a date?"

Caius looked Noel over before sighing, "Didn't I just tell you, you owe me something nice?"

"Wait a date? You think I owe you a date?" Noel demanded with a scowl. "That's not even a good way to ask someone out!"

"Do you want it to be more romantic?"

That wasn't what he had meant, but Noel couldn't seem to stop the way his mouth moved on its own. "Fuck yes! You don't get to just demand my presence somewhere!" He flushed right after saying it. This couldn't get any worse, could it? "That's not what I meant to say!"

Caius was already starting to walk away, "Alright then, I'll come up with something that's acceptable, Noel. Give me an hour or so and I will return with a more proper way to ask you on a date."

"No wait!" Caius was gone before Noel could grab him and take it all back. "Caius, that's not what I want!" Great, now he had to watch his back during this stupid rally. 

"Noel!" That was a familiar voice. He looked back as Hope approached him and he sighed. He had meant to talk to him about spying on him anyway, but right now he wasn't exactly focusing well. "I heard about your fight with Caius from Snow. Did you resolve it?"

"You've been spying on me! How the hell do you even know Caius?" Maybe he could at least get some of his questions answered. "I knew there was something weird about you, besides the fact that you're freakishly smart."

Hope managed a smile, "You sound like you're jealous of my brains. Caius and I are roommates." Roommates? Hope was in a room with Caius and Lightning didn't know? How had he managed that? "She doesn't have to know everything I do, you know?" Hope was referring to his body guard. "Sometimes I like to keep some things to myself."

"That's how you know Yeul then?" Hope nodded, "You're annoying." Noel felt stupid for not figuring it out himself. "And now you've got me into quite a bit of trouble."

Hope raised an eyebrow, "How did I get you into trouble?"

"Caius plans on trying to...surprise me or something?" 

"Is that a question, Noel?" Hope sounded amused. The sadistic bastard.

"No it's not a question. He plans on asking me on a date but romantically." Because he couldn't keep his mouth shut. "Caius doesn't ask people out....he's too dull for that." Hope let out a soft laugh. Caius was anything but dull; it didn't seem as if Noel understood that though. "I've never seen him go on a date with anyone. He doesn't like people!"

Hope shrugged as they began walking again, "Yea well that sounds a bit like Caius I suppose, but have you taken into account his feelings for you? Maybe he'll be willing to show just a little bit of emotion to someone he likes?"

Noel had never considered something like that. He'd never seen Caius like anyone, so he guessed...."Wait how do you know? Are you spying on me right now?"

"I don't need to spy on you Noel, Caius is out and about he can spy on you himself." Point taken. Noel looked Hope over before sighing and rubbing his eyes. "Aren't you going to have a fun time?"

There was something about the way Hope said that, that made him nervous. Why did he have a rather horrible feeling that Caius was up to something he couldn't control?

**Author's Note:**

> A pretty basic beginning! Little bit of drama, tiny bit of back story, looking forward to this one.


End file.
